http://blogs.calgaryherald.com/2011/...l-health-care/

Out of the Dark: Childrens mental issues.. a series run in the Calgary Herald last week.. perhaps they could do a follow up story on your daughter (without specifically naming names)?

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/index.html

also: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/to...q=mentalhealth

But withdrawing their visa (thus their daughters) and leaving the country WITH their daughter, surely it would help by taking her as far away from the enablers as possible?

Maybe they'd also get more successful help in the UK?

I know it's not that simple but it sounds like their current situation is a losing battle with potentially serious consequences (physically & emotionally).

It sounds as though the daughter would abscond and find like minded fellows anywhere in the world you move to though.

It's just how that "anywhere in the world" would deal with the issues.

Can she not be checked into a mental illness unit by you guys, or does she have to go voluntarily? Does her doctor not agree that some form of intervention would be for the best?

Surely it's worth a shot since they seem to be pissing into the wind where they are now.

I've been around these situations (some with very bad outcomes) so i fully sympathise with the family.

The ones who came out of the hole tended to have moved away completely from the situations. Those who were buried in a hole stayed put. My own experiences may not apply to this, however.

I also know of great facilities in the UK that deal with these issues, although that was a few years ago now so my info may be out of date.

We have talked @ length about going back to the UK and we have spoken to Child Services there. The response is just as much a lack of interest. Somerset services say that she is no longer a case of theirs and Swindon are reluctant as hell to get involved.
Our daughter will do this wherever she is in the world. I have come to the conclusion that whichever way we jump, it's not going to be the right thing so i just have to go with my gut.
I have been in contact with Paula Simon of the Edmonton Journal

[email protected]

This is probably a long shot but if there is anyone out there that feels strongly enough about our situation to make a comment, please e mail her @ the above address.

She told me of a story with regards to a 15 yearold girl. She has Mental Health issues and was living out in the open in a ravine and was HIV positive.
The only thing that could be done was police arrested her on some charge because that's all they could do.

Some good news.Although it's not ideal, our daughter contacted us and is making noises about working her way home.She tells me she is ding some web based schooling and is getting counselling for the abuse and starts psychiatric therapy soon.(to be confirmed i may add) but it sounds promising. But then it always does.

How's this for insanity. I just found out that Child Services are giving our daughter $700 dollars a month. In her own accnt.
Mental Health issues, prior drugs user etc etc and they are allowing her $700 completely unchecked. insane

Still no change. Our daughter still i'sn't home. Not sure that she is ever going to be again. To much time has elapsed and to many events have happened.
She is still living with this couple and has now committed a crime. It seems she has been defrauding the Scotia Bank to the tune of $1000.
She told them that she had lost the ATM card for the acct that we set up for her so they gave her a new one.
After being taught how by the prostitute girl that was living with ourdaughter and this couple, she was depositing empty envelopes into the machine and making withdrawls.
I now find out that this girl is being investigated by the police for doing the same con @ Money Mart.

Got a phone call from the Child Services yesterday informing me that our daughter was in hospital with breathing problems.
She has had a lunp in her throat for the last 7/8 months which was originally diagnosed as strep throat.
It now transpires that they are now investigating her lymph nodes which does concern me..
With the amount of crap that she has put into her system, i wonder if it's related. These kids don't know what these frugs have been mixed with.
I have written yet another lette.This time to the new Prime Ministe. I hope this one doesn't fall on deaf ears.




Dear Prime Minister,
tonight, after much soul searching,i have come to the point where i have had tp say goodbye to our daughter. I have made this decision because i realize that i am probably causing her more harm than good.

No matter how logical or reasonable my arguments are to her to get her to see the harm she is doing to herself and inevitably her demise by going down the path in life that she is taking, she doesn't listen. Why, because she has Reactive Attachment Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress, ADHD, Borderline Personality Disorder Traits, Learning Disorders, O positional Defiance Disorder and the list goes on.

We attempted IVF 5 times which all failed. We put in to adopt and were matched with this little 7 year old who we instantly fell in love with. She had suffered neglect in the birth family and after 3 months of living with us, she revealed that she had been abused in the foster care home that she had been placed in..We knew she would struggle at some point,but we were confident that we could guide her to the places where she could get help. How wrong we were.

We came to Canada from the UK in 2009 primarily to give our daughter the best chance she could have as we could see things were starting to slip for her.

In 2010 we approached Child Services for help as things started to slide with our daughter where she was associating with a known meth addict and we had to call the police out to have her brought back.He was 18 she was 14.

We were told that child services wouldn't get involved because of legislation that prevented them doing so. They told us that as we weren't abusing her or neglecting her that they couldn't get involved.

Even though we told them of her history, of the mental health issues in her family, they still couldn't get involved. Legislation from your Government Prime Minister.

Since 2010, we have fought and fought to try and get our daughter help and been met with stone walls.

I have been to court to have our Daughter held for 5 days in a PCHAD order 3 times. A PCHAD that as i understand it has been extended to 10 days but your Government has not implemented. it.

When i went to court to pursue a form 8 to have her detained for her own safety,she was released because she wasn't presenting as a threat to herself or others. No previous history could be taken into acct because of the 72 hour rule that was legislated by your Government. This was also true when she was secured for 7 days at the YAC on the Yellowhead.

I could not report her missing and have her on the CPIK list because she was classed as a chronic runaway.

I had to fight and fight to get her a mental health assessment because everything is geared towards drugs.I have been told that Child Services doesn't work well with Mental Health. I have been told do we want our Daughter labelled with a mental health stigma, the list goes on.




What is going on? Is this how we treat our vulnerable?

Our Daughter has now associated with drug dealers, traffickers,caught STD's has been seen in drug houses,has prostituted herself for drugs, all the things a parent dreads. She is currently living with a couple we don't even know because there is nowhere else she can go because there are packed group homes and has now recently committed a crime

We nearly lost her a month ago as she was involved in a car wreck that according to police ,no one should have walked away from. She got into a car with a young woman who also lived with this couple (who also has Mental Health Issues) and only had a provisional licence..Another example of risky behavior..

As i stated previously,our daughter has Mental Health issues and there is no distinction between a teen who has gone of the rails for a while and is likely to come back to reality and a teen with Mental Health problems. They are all tarred with the same brush.

This notion previously stated on the floor of the Legislature from Minister Zwozdesky that there is help out there if if a teen with Mental Health wants it is ludicrous. Would a starving teen in the Sudan be expected to walk 5 miles to a food bank because it's there if they want it. No,they would be given the help they needed to get to it. A person with Mental Health issues also needs help to get the treatment they need because of the nature of these disorders




Your Governments legislation is leaving vulnerable teens to the hands of sexual deviants,drug dealers and more. I implore you to act now and review all procedures with regards to teens with Mental Helth , to take a look at our daughters case file and see for yourself.

We, as parents, would not be this far down this road if Legislation had permitted Child Services to act in the beginning and to get involved.

It should not be the expectation of the Psychiatric profession that teens like our daughter will only get help if they commit 2 crimes and are incarcerated before they get the psychiatric help they need.




I asked for an audience with you Prime Minister but was told that you would not be able to meet with me in a timely fashion. I would still like that opportunity.

I understand that you are very busy but this situation is of the utmost importance.

Our daughter ,for now, is still alive..Please help us keep it that way.



I also had yet another conversation with the Child Services who were still banging on about hope. Hope something changes.
My reply was yet again, ÿour dept is being paid by the Albertan tax payer to act & not to hope. We has parents can do the hoping by the bucket load.
I do not expect a Government run dept to exist on hope.
I also reiterated that if the outcome for these vulnerable teens is the same wether Child Services were involved or not, what exactly was their role and if the Govenment was hellbent on reducing debt, then their Ministry would be a good place to start.

the murphy family

This must be a living hell for you right now, and I really feel for your family.

It's heartbreaking that so many different agencies can let a young person down so badly - back in the UK I did a lot of work in the community with young people with mental health issues, many of whom were let down equally by the shortcomings of the UK system. It seems that wherever you go, mental health issues are ignored all too often.

I'm so sorry there's not more we can do on here but know that you have the support of many expats across the country. I can't imagine what you're going through, but your strength in such difficult times is amazing. Sending you our best wishes x

I did not read many replies after reading this. If she is deported where will she go? A hostel in the UK surrounded by other teenagers on drugs? (not all kids in UK hostels are on drugs but really it is not a healthy environment for a kid). I have worked in the homeless sector for 12 years, 10 back in the UK and 2 here in Calgary. Once in that cycle of homelessness and drug taking it is hard for people to break. Keep trying to help her, don't let her be deported that will not help. Be strong and keep looking for the support you and she needs.

You should go back and read them. The OP has been repeatedly let down by the system in your province, the same system which you work in. They might not have been treated better in the UK, but it could hardly have been worse. And, it goes without saying, if you are in any position to help the OP, then help them.

Nicely put!

This is governed by Provincial legislation. It is not a federal issue.

Hm, I just went back and read this from the start. When I posted yesterday i didn't notice how long this has been ongoing. I should have kept my trap shut it seems. I am in no position to help sadly, I see on a daily basis how people with severe mental health problems are just left and forgotten about here in Alberta and it is very sad. OP I am sorry for what you are going through and I hope my comments were not taken badly.

I am so sorry for everything that you and your family are going through! It sounds like you have been incredibly strong and done so much to try and help your daughter. It is obvious that the mental health system needs an enormous overhall, this is so sad that she was not properly evaluated and looked after from the beginning.

Keep fighting for her!

Thanks again to everyone who has commented on our situation. I hope that if there are parents out there who are starting to have problems with their teens (who have or are developing Mental Health issues) ,that they can at least read our story and know what to expect.
I hope that came out the way it ws meant.
I have had no response from the Premier of Alberta nor from the Child Services Ministry in response to my letter to them.
Therefore i am going to escalate to federal level.
Wish us luck as it may get us kicked out of the country. We are on an assumed Visa @ present and i think there would be those that would like me to go away.My answer to them is that i will be even more vocal whever i am in the world.

More lunacy.So our daughter committed a crime. She defrauded the bank out of $1000. It was n't a handful of whatever was by the checkout in a supermarket, it was a thousand dollars.This ex prostitute girl showed her how to commit the crime by depositing emty envelopes into the ATM machine and making withdrawls.
Here is where the lunacy comes into it.
The bank weren't originally going to press charges but after them speaking with child services they decided to go ahead. This was nearly 3 and half weeks ago. Then there was an issue as to jurastiction, RCMP or Edmonton Police Services. (it is a crime for gods sake, should it matterr who deals with it). Lunacy example no1. So when it was decidedwho was going to handle the case , they finally went to arrest and formally charge her on Thurs. Here is lunacy example no 2. Our daughter wasn't there at the time so they went. When our daughter returned back to where she is living, the police were called. Apparently they made an apptmnt to come back on Monday and arrest her. They made an apptmnt people. A chronic runaway in the eyes of the police as that was the reason they gave me when i had previously reported her missing and was the reason why they wouldn't put her on the CPIK list.
So people ,if your teen commits a crime, rest assured that the police will be jolly civilised. For Christ's sake is there ever going to be an end to this madness. These are the services your tax dollars are paying for, just so's you know.